Exhuast-CAI/Short Ram ?

[JWandtheguppies]

Is it worth it to spend a hundred or so more, on Cold Air Intake, for just a slight larger hp gain than Short ram? Also, what's the best exhaust to get for my 02 civic ex? And i was wondering, by having an exhuast and CAI already installed, would that cause any sort of problem if i were to swap my engine later on?

[eckoman_pdx]

Alright, as to what you want, I'll let you decicde. I would personally go with the CAI. Anyways, when it comes to power gains and CAI, here's how it works. For every 11.1 degrees you lower the intake temp of the air entering the engine, you get a 1% gain in HP. This is because cool air is more dense than warm air. So, if you have a 127hp motor, and the underhood temp is 110 degrees, thats the intake temp of the air your Short ram will ingest. Now, if it's 60 degree's outside, thats 50 degree's less (50-11.1= 4.5% gain). That comes out to a 5.7hp gain over the short ram. Remember, the cooler the intake temp, the more power, so with a cold air intake, the cooler the outside air, the more power gain. So you'll get more power from the CAI in the winter when its 45 outside than in the summer when it's 85 outside. Since a short ram takes air from under the hood, the outside air (ambeint temp) doesn't really effect the gain, so you won't really get more when it gets colder out. The CAI sucks in the outside air, so the cooler the ambeint temp, the more hp gain. The air will almost always be cooler outside than under the hood, so take that into conisderation.